Selling a Honda Civic Online with Meta's Muse AI

What's Muse? The no-fuss tool that lets you sell a car with just a text

Selling a car online that you've used for years can be a hassle. There are listings to fill out, market research to conduct, and negotiations to be had. Meta's new tool Muse changes that: it sells your car in just five steps, starting with a single text message. If you want to sell your Honda Civic, all you have to say is, “Muse, sell my car for $12,000”. Later in the process, Muse will negotiate the price with buyers, sorting out the details and making sure the transaction is smooth. To start, Muse opens a secure browser and types the listing for you, comparing it against similar cars in the market.

Beyond Craigslist: Online buying and selling in the era of the AI middleman

Selling a car has traditionally meant dealing with marketplaces like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace, or even hiring a broker to give your car the best chance of selling. These processes are complex and time-consuming. Sometimes hiring a broker means spending extra money, as the broker will usually charge a commission. That's where Muse makes a difference. Muse offers a streamlined way to sell cars — or anything else — by using AI to automate the process. This is part of a broader trend where AI is being used to automate and simplify the buying and selling process. AI can provide a more seamless and convenient experience for users; already, it has changed how we interact with intermediaries, and how markets function. While there's some talk about what this potentially means for the future of jobs in sectors with middlemen, there’s no denying the convenience this offers to consumers.

Who's running the show? Muse and Sentinel

Mose is essentially an AI chatbot. That said, Muse isn’t the only AI involved in this process. Another AI, Sentinel, oversees the entire transaction. This AI double-checks everything that is sent or clicked to ensure that the transaction is secure. In a subtle hint toward future automation, it is Sentinel that makes sure no message or click proceeds without its approval. Here’s how these two AI systems work together. First, Muse takes care of the front-end. You can tell Muse to sell your Honda Civic for $12,000. Muse will spin up a virtual computer and a private browser on Meta's cloud, and initiate the process. While doing this, Muse will also compare the price of your car against the 14 listings in the city to get the best price for your car. That's what Muse writes in the listing. The next part is handled by Sentinel. When a buyer offers $11,500, Muse counters with a price of $12,000. Sentinel then reviews the price and the process of negotiating, confirming it before the offer is made. Once the buyer and seller agree, the transaction is finalized. Muse then generates a one-time credit card to pay for the listing.

Muse's price negotiation games

Muses doesn't accept an offer without some bidding. Take the example above: when the buyer offers $11,500, Muse counters with a $12,000 offer. In other words, Muse doesn't just automatically lower the price to what the buyer offers. Rather, it keeps negotiating with the buyer until both parties agree on a price. This can be seen as persuading the buyer to see the value of the car, by keeping a higher price for longer. As a result, the transaction closes at a price closer to the original asking price. For example, in the case of the Honda Civic, Muse did not lower the price to $11,500 straight away. Even after the offer, Muse continued to negotiate, before the buyer agreed to the terms. That's why Muse can command higher prices—because it keeps negotiating instead of giving in to the first offer.

Selling a car with just a text

You might think that selling a car is a difficult process. But with Muse, it's as simple as sending a text. Here’s a step-by-step guide to using Muse to sell a car:

• Start with a text message: Text “Sell my Honda Civic. I want $12,000." on WhatsApp.
• Muses will do the rest: Muse conducts all the negotiations with buyers and lists the car. You, as a user, won't have to do anything.
• Muses will send a notification: Once the car is sold, Muse sends a notification. You know that the car is sold, but you don't have to deal with the hassle of selling a car. There’s no downloading or sign-up process. Once that’s done, Muse does the negotiation. It can also do all the price comparisons and research for you, which means you don’t have to do the heavy lifting. As a result, more users will turn to this tool, and the traditional ways of selling a car could fade to the background.

The real world challenges

Mose has the advantage of being in a position where it can grow and expand into a variety of markets. This is a prime opportunity for using AI in ways most people won't expect. For example, imagine what Muse could be capable of in a few years. Muse could potentially handle more complex transactions or sell more expensive commodities. The only issue is that so far, Muse has been used only in a demo. There's been no word on when the tool will be available to the public. For people who have tried to sell a car online in the past, there might be some concern about whether it will be one of those tools that sounds promising, but doesn't deliver. It would be interesting to see how this tool develops over the years.

From Altman to autonomy

While Altman is in a concrete position to move forward with Muse and the other advancements, the question remains as to how Muse can be used to solve problems in your life. For example, the tool can provide you freedom from conventional sales platforms, which are prone to scams. Just like Altman's scenario, imagine the value of being able to sell a car without worrying about each step, or the need to communicate directly with buyers. Muse can now make it happen.